Cosmic Discovery
The Search, Scope, and Heritage of Astronomy

Martin Harwit's influential book, Cosmic Discovery, is rereleased after more than 35 years, with a new Preface by the author.

Martin Harwit (Author)

9781108722049, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 21 March 2019

370 pages, 78 b/w illus.
24.6 x 17.2 x 1.7 cm, 0.74 kg

Martin Harwit's influential book, Cosmic Discovery, is rereleased after more than thirty-five years, with a new preface written by the author. The work chronicles the astronomical discoveries up to the late twentieth century and draws conclusions that major discoveries have often been unexpected, unrelated to prevailing astronomical theories and made by outsiders from other fields. One trend alone seems to prevail: major discoveries follow major technological innovations in observational instruments. The author also examines discovery in terms of its political, financial, and sociological contexts, including the role of industry and the military in enabling new technologies, and methods of funding. The challenges encountered by astronomy in the 1980s are remarkably similar to those astronomers face today. Difficulties persist in controlling recurrent cost overruns on planned missions, and in confronting mounting costs in developing observatories for detecting gravitational waves, high-energy cosmic rays, and particles that might explain dark matter.

Preface
1. The search
2. Discoveries
3. Observation
4. Detection, recognition, and classification of phenomena
5. The fringes of legitimacy: the need for enlightened planning
Appendices
References
Glossary
Index.

Subject Areas: Cosmology & the universe [PGK], Astronomy, space & time [PG], History of science [PDX], True stories: discovery / historical / scientific [BTH]